Zipslasher Mission
by MelodiousSchemer
Summary: Marluixa accompanies Roxas on a mission to collect hearts. Simple enough until a Zipslasher appears. Time to introduce the zombie like Roxas to something called Teamwork.


"Ready?"

Roxas nodded. What was he supposed to say?

He followed lifelessly, spending empty minutes staring into a tall, leather back. The dusty town sloped upwards and downwards under his feet. The lazy afternoon sun warmed the red-brown bricks all around him. Not that he ever really looked at any of them.

His eyes barely registered the shadows on the ground.

Even when those shadows rose from the ground and began attacking, he didn't bat a lid. He stood back, waiting for the buzz of slashing metal and grunts of effort to die from his ears.

A small brush of green veins against his cheek earned a noise. "Hmn." He hummed in his throat, his eyes realizing he was in a small wood of trees. He didn't know when he'd entered such a place; he was in a town before wasn't he? Branches made an old, creaking roof above him and leaves swept at his feet among his cloak trails.

His glossed pupils followed the leaf that had kissed his skin. He watched it spin pointlessly in the circulating wind. Lost from its roots, knowing nothing about the wind that tossed it, but following it anyway because there was nothing else to guide it. He chuckled, realizing he was starting to sympathise with flora.

"Careful."

Roxas grunted at the loose attack that flew past his hip. When more projectiles came he gripped a handle that sat in his hand. He pulled a Keyblade in front of his body, sending the glowing pods flying in all directions. Red bursts of hearts escaped to the sky, disappearing into Kingdom Hearts.

"Nice one." The man complimented. Roxas could see a strange pain in his face as he cleaved the gnarled, plant-like demons in two.

When the heartless cleared a gate to a mansion was revealed. Roxas stared curiously into it, the first hint of interest showing up in him all day. But Marluxia was already treading back, considering the mansion a dead end. And so he followed.

Roxas subtly acknowledged the town scene returning when they walked back.

"Wait…" Marluxia's arm bumped Roxas's chest, holding the boy back. He waited in the familiar silence, watching the man's nose rise from the profile of his hair. "A powerful enemy is near…"

"Powerful?"

"Ah…" Marluxia gave a jaunty glace, mouth tipping open. "He speaks."

"Powerful?" He repeated, not caring for Marluxia's taunts.

"It is beyond you, Roxas. Let's simply RTC." He said, leading Roxas along the bricks that wound around the Tram Common.

"…Is it beyond you?"

Marluxia halted, boots coming together. "…I'm not equipped for a fight with it."

"Where is it?"

"In that square." He tilted his head to the gap in the wall next to them. "Can you not hear it?"

Roxas strained his hearing for any noise. He didn't have to for long, soon a tell tale sound of steel on stone ground into the air. "Isn't it our job to collect hearts? Or doesn't it have any?"

"A Zipslasher. It's no Pureblood, it's a genuine Heartless."

Roxas dared to amble to the gap, neck stretching around the corner to see if he could get a glimpse of it. "How do you know?"

"Zexion spotted it yesterday. Now come, don't provoke an attack."

Roxas retreated from the entrance to the square.

Marluxia could hear the boy being followed before he could; a foreboding set of metallic clinks on the pavers. The man threw his hand out to the boy and yelled. "Behind you, Roxas!"

Roxas turned just in time to see the blade cut into him, sending him sprawling across the ground.

Marluxia swept him off the warm bricks and out of harms way. He scowled deeply as the Heartless hastily followed. Marluxia gently dropped Roxas to his feet behind a block of yellowed buildings. He was surprised when the boy stood and waved off his supporting arm. "That wasn't so bad." He grinned through the rivulet of blood spilling from his mouth.

In a gust of green Roxas's wounds were swept away by a potion. Intent on not wasting anymore supplies, Marluixa urged the boy away from the pointless fight. "We should get going, there's no sense getting you killed over one heart."

The boy still revolted. "We can take it; I've got a few potions and you're very strong, I'm sure you could take it down."

"Flattery will not get you any closer to that Heartless."

Roxas had no idea that he'd tried such a thing.

He had only just gained enough morality to speak for himself, but he was far from wrapping his head around the idea of sweet talking another member. In the boys' confusion, he picked up the sound of the Zipslasher rounding the corner. Marluxia had already armed himself, and in a flash of black and pink the man stood between him and the heartless.

Marluxia charged forwards at it, grace in his feet. He stepped around the reach of the metal blades and brought his scythe down into its back. The heartless was knocked forwards towards Roxas, but the young blond was ready. He swung his hands, a keyblade materializing in his fingers a second before it collided with a metal skull.

The Heartless staggered and came back towards Roxas with a pair of shinning blades that glowed a mysterious green. Into the young body they sliced, once twice, three times in the chest.

Roxas was on the pavement again, this time gasping, feeling the blades true extent. Awkwardly he rose, his crippled body resisting. He threw another brave attack at the Heartless, which was blocked and followed up by another onslaught metal.

A strangled cry burst free from Roxas's throat. "Uargh!" He blacked out before he hit the pavers.

"Fool." Marluxia sighed, skirting Roxas off, back across the other side of the Tram Common. He laid the unconscious body out under a bridge of bricks and revived him with a high potion. The green liquid saturated his chest and soaked up the wounds.

"I'm surprised you lasted as many attacks as you did." Marluxia said, welcoming him back into the world of consciousness.

"Thanks?" Roxas muttered, sitting up.

"Still rearing to go at that thing?"

"I haven't given up if that's what you mean." Roxas huffed, but took the hand Marluxia offered to him. The man admired his determination as he helped him up. "Alright then." He gave in, a bit more confidant now knowing he could outrun the beast. "But feel free to throw in the towel."

They went back at it, Roxas resolved on killing this Heartless, while Marluxia was resolved on keeping Roxas from getting killed. After a dangerous few minutes of trial and error Marluxia had found a pattern. "Roxas! It attacks right after it blocks. After the attack you can get a few good swings in before it will block again." He informed, coming to Roxas's side. The boy nodded and they charged back in.

Marluxia was constantly on defensive while Roxas's often drew back, a bit more hesitant. But after successfully landing long strings of hits he became over confidant. Often he stuck around too long and got caught in the swirl of blades.

"He gains a lot of ground when he attacks." Marluxia said as Roxas healed himself with a potion. "So do try to run away."

"Hmph, you're not."

"Do as I say, not as I do."

Marluxia received nasty blows to his much more resilient body, often getting let down by the heavier swings of his scythe. But he rarely needed to heal himself.

"How much more can this thing take?" Roxas yelled.

"It's very strong."

"…Fine then." The young one said, lowering the potion he was about to use. Instead he braced himself, white light bursting under his feet.

He sprung off his soles, his Keyblade becoming an enveloped blade of white, burning light. As he lunged his attack speed tripled into a dangerous flurry of slices. Each cut dealt staggering damage to the metal heartless. Until the beast blocked, crossing its sword arms in front of its body. Roxas's white rage struggled to break through and he yelled as he kept slashing down, his feet lifted high off the ground. Then the heartless's blades were in him again, making deep cuts yet he refused to back down, knowing he didn't have long left until his power faded. But one too many gashes hit his body. His energy flew out of him like a gust of wind and his wounds were too severe to keep his mind alive.

He passed out on the pavers again.

He roused soon after, encased in soft warmth that shielded him from the pain of his wounds. His body rested against this welcoming heat. He figured he was back in the castle, safely tucked into a bed, left to heal. He remembered the feeling of cold steel slithering into his flesh and he shivered, a fresh layer of goose bumps covering his arms.

"Roxas?" A voice called, trying to bring him back.

He began to feel more and more. A distinct numbness in his chest, a heat that not only encased his body but beat against his face as well. "Axel…" His voice escaped him, light as a feather. Axel was the only one he knew who could twist a sweating knot of flame in your stomach by just standing beside you, who could breathe steam, hot enough to scald, into your face by only talking to you.

A deep chuckle. Too deep.

He parted his lids but painful sunlight assaulted his eyes, making him squeeze them shut again. He groaned high in his throat and turned into what he thought was a pillow... But it was far too solid. So what was this kind support at his head that smelt of a musky honeysuckle? Something pulled his hood up over his head, hanging it down over his face so the world behind his eyelids went one shade darker.

"Do me a favour Roxas and open your eyes."

"Ngh…"

"Come on." The voice dropped into a much softer whisper, trying to encourage him. "Stop worrying me."

Roxas complied with the voice and eased his eyes open into the shadow of his hood which shielded his sensitive eyes. The rest of his sight was set on a stretch of similar leathery material that rose and fell against his cheek. A chest it seemed.

A hand dipped into his hood and cupped the back of his head, tilting him out of the pillow-chest to meet a pair of mountain river eyes. The sun came back to bite him but Marluxia placed his hand to Roxas's brow, casting shadow over the boys' eyes once again.

He mumbled a shy thanks.

"It's the least I can do for nearly getting you killed."

"Not like you came after me with your scythe." He said, surprisingly quietly.

This weak tone worried Marluxia. "You should rest here for a bit. I had to use the rest of my potions on you; I can imagine you'll be a bit numb."

The man was right. He tried to move his arms and legs but he didn't get much response from ether. It was difficult to draw much air from his lungs, his whole chest numb after a lot of potion water had healed the deep wounds. It was a small price. Roxas much preferred the after effects of potions rather than the pain and blood.

Marluxia sat on the roof of a building in the Tram Common, his back against a taller building for support as he held the young body. The sun, though steadily dipping still dotted the back of Marluxia's neck with sweat. The heat warmed his black cloak and brought a light flush around his cheekbones.

Roxas thought it matched his hair rather well. He tried not to smile.

The faint pink also graced the mans' mouth. A hint of colour along the curve of his lips, donning the shade of velvety look of a freshly sprung petal.

"Are you okay Roxas?" The man asked, leaning in.

"Oh? Yeah…" He realized he must have been staring but was glad for the man's concern. Marluxia stripped his hand of its glove and placed it flat on his forehead, checking for fever. When he found a normal temperature he drew his fingers back, letting Roxas's hair fall back into place. One lock got caught in his eye and Roxas tried to blink it away. Marluxia swept it aside for him and the boy could see the small white tips of his lengthy fingernails holding his hair back and touching the side of his face carefully.

Marluxia was beautiful, there was no way around saying it. Roxas was envious but glad he could be here to appreciate it. And he thought Axel was the only one who could make you feel on fire.

"How's your movement?"

He flexed his arm and this time it did what he meant it to. "Good." He grasped Marluxia's shoulder and tried to pull himself up. But he fell backwards; hitting his head on the solid roof as Marlxuia dropped him. The dull contact made the world before his eyes blur slightly.

"Marluxia, what was that?" He asked, gathering himself back up, propping his body up on his elbows.

"I'm sorry Roxas, forgive me I'm injured."

Roxas dragged more hair from his face as he looked to the man's shoulder, which had a thick gash across the back of it, blood pouring relentlessly down from it. Marluixa carefully slid his arm out of his sleeve. His upper lip twitched in pain, flashing his rounded white teeth. "Here let me help you." Roxas pulled his entire body off the ground, not easy when your muscles fought against you.

He even bled wondrously. The blood started to rivulet down his back, making wide arches around large, defined shoulder blades and following the scoop of his back. Marluxia's hair was stained, deeper red than it should have been. Roxas carefully laced his fingers into the hair. He was shocked when he saw how much blood dripped out when he squeezed strands in his palm. He could've rung it out like a rag.

He moved his fingers up into cleaner strands of hair, bloodless but retaining the full feel of heavy silk.

"Roxas…" That soft voice again that gained his attention so much faster than the harsh, commanding one.

He looked up and Marluxia matched his gaze with eyes of deep curiosity.

"S…sorry. We need a potion."

"We have no more. What we need to do is get back to the castle." The second he said it clashing sounds of ringing metal echoed around them. Roxas looked over the edge of the building to find the Zipslasher attacking the corner of the stone building as if to try and cut it down. "You didn't kill that thing?" Roxas asked in surprise.

"That would've taken time. If I did you could've died with it. It was either both of you or none."

"Well now we need to run for it."

"Let us go then."

"What?" Roxas looked at Marluxia struggle to his feet. It was painful to even watch. He noticed a slit in the mans' pants leg. Blood overflowed from the slit and splattered onto the ground as he stood. "Can you move well enough?" Marluxia asked

Adrenaline rushed into Roxas and the numbness had dissipated. He nodded. "What's the plan?"

"How fast can you run?"

Roxas smiled. He peered over at the heartless, then to the portal. Luckily the Zipslasher attacked the side of the building that faced away from the portal. They could make it. "Let's go."

Roxas threw himself over the edge, hitting the ground hard. He shook off the ground shock and broke into a run. He turned back to see Marluxia hit the ground, diving into a roll. Roxas thought this was very clever until Marluxia didn't get up off the ground. Shit.

He ran back to where the man was struggling, steadily building up waterfalls of blood on his body. Roxas dove under his arm and pulled him up. He was heavy and Roxas wasn't nearly tall enough to help him walk. Marluxia dug his feet into the ground and started limping, using the boys shoulder to steady himself. The Zipslasher powered towards them at twice the pace they were going. The portal wasn't far and Roxas realized they were going to make it when a blade cut him in the back.

Slowly and painfully and blade arched upwards, slicing his flesh apart further and further up his back. He screamed and Marluxia kicked the heartless away. The steel pulled out right before it hit the base of his neck.

The boy, tearing and bleeding summoned his Keyblade and threw it into the staggering body of the heartless, slowing it further.

Together they stepped forwards and fell through the portal to safety.

Axel stood abruptly when two black figures tumbled into the room. "Marluxia wh-Roxas! What happened to him!" The redhead hissed threateningly. Marluxia was cradling the boy in his arms, protecting him from the fall.

"Get potions now you fool."

"What did you let happen to him!?"

"Do you WANT him to bleed out!?" He yelled in response. He was in far too much pain to be courteous.

Axel looked as though he was about to retort but he glanced at Roxas, nodded and sprinted off.

Marluxia steadied himself against the cold, white wall, tugging Roxas with him. "Don't worry Roxas, help is on the way."

"Thank you…" he mumbled softly."…That wasn't such a success. You saved me a lot."

"We saved each other a lot." He let the boy relax against him and bleed steadily onto his coat.

"Oh no… you got even more blood in your nice hair." Roxas muttered playing with a few mattered strands.

Marluxia frowned.

"Don't worry you still look nice…"

The man peeled back his glove and dove his hand into his fringe, touching the skin of his forehead below. Then he bent over and pressed their foreheads together. Marluxia sighed and clucked. Roxas was warm and very feverish. He ignored the rest of his delusional ramblings and held him while he waited for Axel to return.


End file.
